olitay

Im waiting for the day Jim posts a pic of a 20+kg kingie from Sydney Harbour.. I recon its your year buddy. See you out there tomorrow!

Ive been told by numerous people that the restrictions apply to the trailer, not the boat hence the reason I have had a trailer custom built for AU specs. Time will tell, and ill ensure to keep you updated on this. JohnV, RE importing smaller 5M boats, I disagree that it is not worth it. American brand boats are very well known for their build and ride and sell quite well in Australia. There are many small Scouts, Pioneers, Trophy's and Wellcraft vessels over there that can land here for half the price of what people are selling them for In AU. I guess it all depends if you can bother with the whole process or not, its time consuming, frustration and risky not knowing exactly what your getting. Worth the Savings?, well im a risk taker so bring it on!.

Niiiiice, where is the video?

A rough guide would be: If the boat is 10K US, by the time you import, taxes, duties, trailer conversion, gst, warf costs etc etc... Double the purchase price, maybe plus some. A 10K boat will cost you 16-20 landed.

Update. New trailer arrived today and it looks like I wont need a permit to tow the boat as im being told that the regulations apply to the trailer, not the boat. So i have had a new trailer built in the US with AU specs! yipee. Also, ive gone against the container Idea and will be shrink wrapping the boat and sending it via RORO (Roll on Roll Off Service) The Seaswirl will leave this week. So hopefully it will be here on the 31st December. Updates to come.

Ha, your right mate, they actually go in on a 45% cradle head to head, so it juuuuust fits! Just like this.

Thanks for the information, Im not concerned about needing a tow permit as im very close to the boat ramp and dont usually tow the boat too far. I realise its not the best situation but it is really hard to find a decent size 23footer under 2.59 and for a boat like this im willing to compromise. All import permits are being put together by my agent in Australia so hopefully all goes through smoothly. Ill be adding an 18ft Wellcraft CC so it makes sense to use a container as the second boat only incurs a 600 dollar roll in. Ill keep you all posted!

AWESOME FOOTAGE

Hey Simon, where you been fella! The boat is very similar, just newer and a better fuel injected motor which would probably be a little more fuel efficent. not sure which one ill keep yet. I guess ill wait till it gets here. Lets fish soon aye!

Well Said Donna!

Hey Raiders, for a few years now I have looked into importing a boat from the States and actually came very close to doing this last year however the deal fell through. Well, with the Aussie dollar sitting pretty at the moment I took the plunge and decided that the time was right. I searched the net frantically for weeks, looking for the right boat. I emailed dealers, brokers, wanabees, weirdos, private sellers, Dodgy characters until finally I found a contact that seemed to know what he was on about. This guy had sold a number of boats from the US to Aussie buyers and did it all from his broker office in the states. He found me just the boat that I was looking for, a 23ft Seaswirl Walkaround with an inboard Volvo (pics attached). The trailer would not suit Aussie specs so I upgraded for an Australian Specification built trailer for an additional trade price of $1000 dollars, My guy co-ordinated the whole process. I will update you all on the process as i know there is a lot of interest in importing boats from the US at them moment. I have paid for the boat and will be paying for the container this week. FYI, a 40 ft container from the US should cost you between 6-8K and if you do it right you should be able to fit 2 boats in, 1 20-23ft boat and another 18ft. The boats are placed on a cradle on a 45 degree angle. I have another 18ft Wellcraft CC that will be accompanying the seaswirl. Now, for those who have done this before, I know there are duties, taxes, GST, quarantine and all sorts of other hidden costs involved and in time, I will make sure that I let you all know what these costs equate to based on my experience. I have heard crazy stories of boats being held up in quarantine for weeks on end at an expense of 700AUD a day, I hope this isnt the case for me. If anyone wants to know who im dealing with please pm and ill let you know, so far, the process has been great and all communication has been very prompt and professional. Watch this space, ill keep you all updated on the progress. BillyD

Nice one Jimako!

HI mate, if you dont want to drag it to a service guy call Ash from Xtreme mobile Marine, he does all the work on my boat and is a great mechanic. knows his stuff! He is often in rosebay.

I had one on a previous boat, not bad, but wouldnt pay the money to get another one. There are similar anchors without the name that work in a similar fashion.

Hey Dave, i had a similar issue with mine. turned out to be the auto choke on the carbie was flooding at low revs.... The mechnaic ended up overriding the auto choke by disconnecting it. Makes it tricky to cold start but definitely better in the long run. Not sure if your problem is the same but its worth checking i guess. Good luck.

Cracking Kings!!! looks pretty hairy out there! well done

Onya Dona, happy birthday your still a spring chook with plenty fishing years to look forward too! Have a cracka!

Hey yasuf, that must have been an awfull situation to have experienced, first the warf then the rocks!!!! I have been in similar circumstances with family on board and it can really cause a lot of panic! Just goes to show how important it is to have an oversize anchor and chain on board, such a simple safety precaution that people dont seem to consider. Great that you caught some fish and that everyone is safe. How damaged is the boat?

Well done on a great session Grant, makes you wonder why some people pay so much for "quality" gear when a good old ABU can do the trick with ease!. Nice.

Hi Raidsters, im taking the fam on a big trip this year to Hawaii and then Fiji and was wondering if anyone could recommend any good charter guys in particular in Fiji. Im staying in Denarau in Fiji so ill need something on this side of the Island. I cant travel far from here so if anyone knows any charters in the area can you please pm me. Likewise, if anyone has any experience with fishing in hawaii and can recommend someone it would be much appreciated! We're off in 6 weeks. Cheers.

Your not wrong mate, the camera is always in the hand!!! Want to do a browns run this week some time?

Had a great time on the water on Sunday, flicked up a heap of bonnies, few good flatties, lost a big flounder.... nice Spring fishing... Have a look at this video!, this is how you "dont" land a bonnie! LOl (Sorry BillF) My link

well done Jim!

Its my Favorite place to fish Steven, I would highly recomend SWR!

Hey Pete, what a fantastic post!. well done on catching some exotic species and having a great time with the family. Love the shot of the family! priceless.